Wild West Regional Championship 2024 Highlights
Participants and volunteers share fun and camaraderie.
This article was originally published in the February 2024 OVERview digital magazine; see additional photos on pages 1-3. To see winners and podium photos, visit https://www.usdaa.com/news/wild-west-regional-winners-2024.cfm.
The USDAA® Wild West Regional Championship welcomed 196 dogs in January at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Ariz. Competitors traveled from eight states to enjoy a well-run event featuring fun and camaraderie. Organizers set the bar high at the first USDAA regional championship for 2024, in a year that will conclude in Tucson with the Cynosport® Dog Agility World Games Presented by Purina® Pro Plan®.
“The rain could’ve waited about 12 hours, but Mother Nature had other plans. A shout out to everyone who volunteered throughout the event. Your help made the event run like clockwork. A huge thank you to the competitors who stayed, hoping to run in the Finals, but instead loaded equipment. There are no words to thank you for your kindness, generosity, and hard work. Once again, I am incredibly proud of the agility community and wonderful people who make this sport great.” — Annie DeChance
Monica Bush and Mars Attack show off Veterans swag by organizer Amber Abbott for every Veterans Showcase entry.
“We have two events for the Veterans. The Showcase is based off four runs, and we had 19 dogs entered. Definitely a record breaker! The parade is for any dog older than 8, and they got to do three jumps to a tunnel and then choose a toy at the end. We had 55 dogs signed up for that! Our MC told a little about the dogs and everyone cheered. It’s the highlight of the entire show, for sure.” — Amber Abbott
The two oldest dogs in the parade were 16 years young – Lonny Elson’s Paxxton (shown above) and Kristen Wheeler’s Ash. (Sydney Ryan/Capture Your Ego Photography)
“Why I do what I do...for the love of my dog who also loves this sport! Not even 2 years old yet and Gigi gives it her all! I’m excited to see us grow as a team with the help and support from you all. She is tenacious, but still has a deep nap after her one run, but is ready to go when I ask her. Thank you all for being so kind and encouraging us! Your words mean the world.” — Crystal Blaker
Crystal Blaker and Gigi
“The Regional ran Team Relay under the lights on Saturday night and teams who requested songs for the class had music playing during their run. It was a blast and really got the crowd into it.” — Annie DeChance
“This was a great Regional. The best I’ve been to in Tucson. It was much larger than in past years with nearly 200 competitors. The Veterans Showcase was a very special event too with a large turnout. I see this agility community building and a strong sense of community among participants. They are very supportive of each other.” — Kari Massoth
Desiree Snelleman, Kari Massoth and Sydney Ryan celebrate after winning the Three-Dog Team.